1.
GRADUATE RECORD EXAMINATIONS®
Biochemistry, Cell and
Molecular Biology
Test Practice Book
This practice book contains
◾ one actual full-length GRE Biochemistry,
Cell and Molecular Biology Test
◾ test-taking strategies
Become familiar with
◾ test structure and content
◾ test instructions and answering procedures
Compare your practice test results with the performance of those who
took the test at a GRE administration.
Visit GRE Online at www.ets.org/gre
Listening.
Learning.
Leading. This book is provided FREE with test registration by the Graduate Record Examinations Board.

3.
graduate school, reliance on a single measure to
Table of Contents predict success is not advisable. Other indicators of
competence typically include undergraduate tran-
Purpose of the GRE Subject Tests ........................ 3 scripts showing courses taken and grades earned,
letters of recommendation, the GRE Writing
Development of the Subject Tests ....................... 3
Assessment score and GRE General Test scores. For
Content of the Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular information about the appropriate use of GRE
Biology Test ..................................................... 4 scores, write to GRE Program, Educational Testing
Service, Mail Stop 57-L, Princeton, NJ 08541, or
Preparing for a Subject Test ................................. 6 visit our Web site at www.gre.org/codelst.html.
Test-Taking Strategies .......................................... 7
What Your Scores Mean ...................................... 7
Development of the
Practice Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular
Subject Tests
Biology Test ................................................... 11
Each new edition of a Subject Test is developed by a
Scoring Your Subject Test .................................. 55
committee of examiners composed of professors in
Evaluating Your Performance ............................. 58 the subject who are on undergraduate and graduate
Answer Sheet ..................................................... 59 faculties in different types of institutions and in
different regions of the United States and Canada. In
selecting members for each committee, the GRE
Purpose of the GRE Program seeks the advice of the appropriate profes-
sional associations in the subject.
Subject Tests The content and scope of each test are specified
The GRE Subject Tests are designed to help graduate and reviewed periodically by the committee of
school admission committees and fellowship sponsors examiners. Test questions are written by the commit-
assess the qualifications of applicants in specific fields tee and by other faculty who are also subject-matter
of study. The tests also provide you with an assess- specialists and by subject-matter specialists at ETS.
ment of your own qualifications. All questions proposed for the test are reviewed by
Scores on the tests are intended to indicate the committee and revised as necessary. The accepted
knowledge of the subject matter emphasized in many questions are assembled into a test in accordance
undergraduate programs as preparation for graduate with the content specifications developed by the
study. Because past achievement is usually a good committee to ensure adequate coverage of the various
indicator of future performance, the scores are helpful aspects of the field and, at the same time, to prevent
in predicting success in graduate study. Because the overemphasis on any single topic. The entire test is
tests are standardized, the test scores permit compari- then reviewed and approved by the committee.
son of students from different institutions with Subject-matter and measurement specialists on
different undergraduate programs. For some Subject the ETS staff assist the committee, providing infor-
Tests, subscores are provided in addition to the total mation and advice about methods of test construc-
score; these subscores indicate the strengths and tion and helping to prepare the questions and
weaknesses of your preparation, and they may help assemble the test. In addition, each test question is
you plan future studies. reviewed to eliminate language, symbols, or content
The GRE Board recommends that scores on the considered potentially offensive, inappropriate for
Subject Tests be considered in conjunction with major subgroups of the test-taking population, or
other relevant information about applicants. likely to perpetuate any negative attitude that may be
Because numerous factors influence success in
BIOCHEMISTRY, CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY TEST 3
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4.
conveyed to these subgroups. The test as a whole is Content of the Biochemistry,
also reviewed to ensure that the test questions, where
applicable, include an appropriate balance of people in Cell and Molecular
different groups and different roles. Biology Test
Because of the diversity of undergraduate cur-
ricula, it is not possible for a single test to cover all The test contains about 180 multiple-choice questions,
the material you may have studied. The examiners, a number of which are grouped in sets toward the end
therefore, select questions that test the basic knowl- of the test and based on descriptions of laboratory
edge and skills most important for successful graduate situations, diagrams, or experimental results.
study in the particular field. The committee keeps the The content of the test is organized into three
test up-to-date by regularly developing new editions major areas: biochemistry, cell biology, and molecu-
and revising existing editions. In this way, the test lar biology and genetics. In addition to the total
content changes steadily but gradually, much like score, a subscore in each of these subfield areas is
most curricula. In addition, curriculum surveys are reported. Because these three disciplines are basic to
conducted periodically to ensure that the content of the study of all organisms, test questions encompass
a test reflects what is currently being taught in the both eukaryotes and prokaryotes. Throughout the
undergraduate curriculum. test, there is an emphasis on questions requiring
After a new edition of a Subject Test is first problem-solving skills (including mathematical
administered, examinees’ responses to each test calculations that do not require the use of a calcula-
question are analyzed in a variety of ways to deter- tor) as well as content knowledge. While only two
mine whether each question functioned as expected. content areas in the following outline specifically
These analyses may reveal that a question is ambigu- mention methodology, questions on methodology
ous, requires knowledge beyond the scope of the test, and data interpretation are included in all sections.
or is inappropriate for the total group or a particular In developing questions for the test, the
subgroup of examinees taking the test. Answers to committee keeps in mind both the content of
such questions are not used in computing scores. typical courses taken by undergraduates and the
Following this analysis, the new test edition is knowledge and abilities required for graduate work
equated to an existing test edition. In the equating in the fields related to the test. Because of the
process, statistical methods are used to assess the diversity of undergraduate curricula, few examinees
difficulty of the new test. Then scores are adjusted so will have encountered all of the topics in the
that examinees who took a difficult edition of the test content outline. Consequently, no examinee should
are not penalized, and examinees who took an easier expect to be able to answer all questions on the
edition of the test do not have an advantage. Varia- edition of the test he or she takes. The committee is
tions in the number of questions in the different aware that the three content areas are interrelated.
editions of the test are also taken into account in Because of these interrelationships, individual
this process. questions or sets of questions may test more than one
Scores on the Subject Tests are reported as content area. Therefore, the relative emphases of the
three-digit scaled scores with the third digit always three areas in the following outline should not be
zero. The maximum possible range for all Subject considered definitive. Likewise, the topics listed are
Test total scores is from 200 to 990. The actual not intended to be all-inclusive but, rather, represen-
range of scores for a particular Subject Test, how- tative of the typical undergraduate experience.
ever, may be smaller. The maximum possible range
of Subject Test subscores is 20 to 99; however, the
actual range of subscores for any test or test edition
may be smaller. Subject Test score interpretive
information is provided in Interpreting Your GRE
Scores, which you will receive with your GRE score
report, and on the GRE Web site at
www.gre.org/codelst.html.
4 BIOCHEMISTRY, CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY TEST
PRACTICE BOOK

6.
III. MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 36%
AND GENETICS
H. Bacteriophages and Animal
A. Genetic Foundations
and Plant Viruses
Mendelian and non-Mendelian
Genome replication and regulation
inheritance
Virus assembly
Transformation, transduction,
Virus-host interactions
and conjugation
I. Methodology
Recombination and
Restriction maps
complementation
Nucleic acid blotting
Mutational analysis
and hybridization
Genetic mapping and linkage
DNA cloning in prokaryotes
analysis
and eukaryotes
B. Chromatin and Chromosomes
Sequencing and analysis
Karyotypes
Protein-nucleic acid interaction
Translocations, inversions,
deletions, and duplications
Aneuploidy and polyploidy
Structure
Preparing for a Subject Test
C. Genomics GRE Subject Test questions are designed to measure
Genome structure skills and knowledge gained over a long period of time.
Physical mapping Although you might increase your scores to some
Repeated DNA and gene families extent through preparation a few weeks or months
Gene identification before you take the test, last-minute cramming is
Transposable elements unlikely to be of further help. The following informa-
D. Genome Maintenance tion may be helpful.
DNA replication
A general review of your college courses is
DNA damage and repair
probably the best preparation for the test.
DNA modification
However, the test covers a broad range of
DNA recombination and
subject matter, and no one is expected to be
gene conversion
familiar with the content of every question.
E. Gene Expression
The genetic code Use this practice book to become familiar with
Transcription the types of questions in the GRE Biochemistry,
RNA processing Cell and Molecular Biology Test, paying special
Translation attention to the directions. If you thoroughly
F. Gene Regulation in Prokaryotes understand the directions before you take the
Positive and negative control of test, you will have more time during the test to
the operon focus on the questions themselves.
Promoter recognition by
RNA polymerases
Attenuation and antitermination
G. Gene Regulation in Eukaryotes
Cis-acting regulatory elements
Trans-acting regulatory factors
Gene rearrangements and
amplifications
6 BIOCHEMISTRY, CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY TEST
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7.
Record all answers on your answer sheet.
Test-Taking Strategies Answers recorded in your test book will not
The questions in the practice test in this book be counted.
illustrate the types of multiple-choice questions in Do not wait until the last five minutes of a
the test. When you take the test, you will mark your testing session to record answers on your
answers on a separate machine-scorable answer sheet. answer sheet.
Total testing time is two hours and fifty minutes;
there are no separately timed sections. Following are
some general test-taking strategies you may want to What Your Scores Mean
consider.
Your raw score—that is, the number of questions
Read the test directions carefully, and work as
you answered correctly minus one-fourth of the
rapidly as you can without being careless. For
number you answered incorrectly—is converted to
each question, choose the best answer from the
the scaled score that is reported. This conversion
available options.
ensures that a scaled score reported for any edition
All questions are of equal value; do not waste of a Subject Test is comparable to the same scaled
time pondering individual questions you find score earned on any other edition of the same test.
extremely difficult or unfamiliar. Thus, equal scaled scores on a particular Subject
You may want to work through the test quite Test indicate essentially equal levels of performance
rapidly, first answering only the questions about regardless of the test edition taken. Test scores
which you feel confident, then going back and should be compared only with other scores on the
answering questions that require more thought, same Subject Test. (For example, a 680 on the
and concluding with the most difficult ques- Computer Science Test is not equivalent to a 680
tions if there is time. on the Mathematics Test.)
Before taking the test, you may find it useful to
If you decide to change an answer, make sure know approximately what raw scores would be
you completely erase it and fill in the oval
required to obtain a certain scaled score. Several
corresponding to your desired answer.
factors influence the conversion of your raw score to
Questions for which you mark no answer or your scaled score, such as the difficulty of the test
more than one answer are not counted in edition and the number of test questions included in
scoring. the computation of your raw score. Based on recent
As a correction for haphazard guessing, one- editions of the Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular
fourth of the number of questions you answer Biology Test, the table on the next page gives the
incorrectly is subtracted from the number of range of raw scores associated with selected scaled
questions you answer correctly. It is improbable scores for three different test editions. (Note that
that mere guessing will improve your score when the number of scored questions for a given test
significantly; it may even lower your score. is greater than the range of possible scaled scores, it is
If, however, you are not certain of the correct likely that two or more raw scores will convert to the
answer but have some knowledge of the ques- same scaled score.) The three test editions in the table
tion and are able to eliminate one or more of that follows were selected to reflect varying degrees of
the answer choices, your chance of getting the difficulty. Examinees should note that future test
right answer is improved, and it may be to your editions may be somewhat more or less difficult than
advantage to answer the question. the test editions illustrated in the table.
BIOCHEMISTRY, CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY TEST 7
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8.
Range of Raw Scores* Needed
to Earn Selected Scaled Scores on
Three Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular
Biology Test Editions That Differ in Difficulty
Raw Scores
Scaled Score Form A Form B Form C
700 131-134 123-125 119-121
600 100-103 95-96 90-92
500 69-72 66-68 62-64
400 38-41 37-39 33-35
Number of Questions Used to Compute Raw Score
178 180 177
*Raw Score = Number of correct answers minus one-fourth the
number of incorrect answers, rounded to the nearest integer.
For a particular test edition, there are many ways to
earn the same raw score. For example, on the edition
listed above as “Form A,” a raw score of 69 through 72
would earn a scaled score of 500. Below are a few of the
possible ways in which a scaled score of 500 could be
earned on that edition.
Examples of Ways to Earn
a Scaled Score of 500 on the
Edition Labeled as “Form A”
Number of
Questions Questions Questions Questions Used
Answered Answered Not to Compute
Raw Score Correctly Incorrectly Answered Raw Score
69 69 0 109 178
69 80 43 55 178
69 91 87 0 178
72 72 0 106 178
72 83 43 52 178
72 93 85 0 178
8 BIOCHEMISTRY, CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY TEST
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9.
Practice Test
To become familiar with how the administration will be conducted at the test center, first
remove the answer sheet (pages 59 and 60). Then go to the back cover of the test book
(page 54) and follow the instructions for completing the identification areas of the answer
sheet. When you are ready to begin the test, note the time and begin marking your answers
on the answer sheet.
BIOCHEMISTRY, CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY TEST 9
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55.
Scoring Your Subject Test Example: Suppose you chose the correct answers
to 91 questions and incorrect answers to 39. Dividing
Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology Test scores 39 by 4 yields 9.8. Subtracting 9.8 from 91 equals
typically range from 400 to 680. The range for differ- 81.2, which is rounded to 81. The raw score of 81
ent editions of a given test may vary because different corresponds to a scaled score of 530.
editions are not of precisely the same difficulty. The The subscore columns in the worksheet can be
differences in ranges among different editions of a similarly used to tally your correct and incorrect
given test, however, usually are small. This should be responses to the questions that contribute to each
taken into account, especially when comparing two subscore. We suggest that you circle the “●” if you
very high scores. In general, differences between chose the correct answer, and put a minus sign beside
scores at the 99th percentile should be ignored. The the “●” for an incorrect answer. Space is provided at
score conversion table on page 57 shows the score the bottom right of the worksheet to calculate and
range for this edition of the test only. enter your three raw subscores. The subscore conver-
Subscores are reported as two-digit scaled sion table will show you the scaled subscores that
scores. The maximum possible range of Subject correspond to your raw subscores.
Test subscores is 20 to 99. Like total scores, the
actual range of subscores for any test or test edition
may be smaller than 20 to 99.
The worksheet on page 56 lists the correct answers
to the questions. Columns are provided for you to
mark whether you chose the correct (C) answer or
an incorrect (I) answer to each question. Draw a line
across any question you omitted, because it is not
counted in the scoring. At the bottom of the page,
enter the total number correct and the total number
incorrect. Divide the total incorrect by 4 and subtract
the resulting number from the total correct. This is
the adjustment made for guessing. Then round the
result to the nearest whole number. This will give you
your raw total score. Use the total score conversion
table to find the scaled total score that corresponds to
your raw total score.
BIOCHEMISTRY, CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY TEST 55
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58.
Evaluating Your Your three subscores show your relative
strengths or weaknesses in the three subfield areas
Performance of the GRE Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular
Biology Test. The raw subscores are scaled in such
Now that you have scored your test, you may wish to a way that they are related to the total scores on
compare your performance with the performance of the test. On the average, a person who has a
others who took this test. Both the worksheet on page comprehensive background in the field can expect
56 and the tables on page 57 use performance data to have subscores equal to about one-tenth of his
from GRE Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology or her total score. Thus, if you have a total score of
Test examinees. 600, and your undergraduate program placed equal
The data in the worksheet on page 56 are based on emphasis on the three areas of biochemistry, cell
the performance of a sample of the examinees who took and molecular biology represented by the
this test in December 2000. This sample was selected to subscores, you would expect to have a scaled
represent the total population of GRE Biochemistry, subscore of about 60 in each area. If, however, your
Cell and Molecular Biology Test examinees tested subscores differ by more than a few points, you may
between October 1997 and September 2000. The take this as an indication that your lower score
numbers in the column labeled “P+” on the worksheet shows weakness, and you may wish to concentrate
indicate the percentages of examinees in this sample your review efforts on topics in that area.
who answered each question correctly. You may use It is important to realize that the conditions
these numbers as a guide for evaluating your perfor- under which you tested yourself were not exactly the
mance on each test question. same as those you will encounter at a test center. It
The first table on page 57 contains, for each scaled is impossible to predict how different test-taking
score, the percentage of examinees tested between conditions will affect test performance, and this is
October 1997 and September 2000 who received lower only one factor that may account for differences
scores. Interpretive data based on the scores earned by between your practice test scores and your actual
examinees tested in this three-year period will be used test scores. By comparing your performance on this
by admissions officers in the 2001-02 testing year. These practice test with the performance of other GRE
percentages appear in the score conversion table in a Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology Test
column to the right of the scaled scores. For example, in examinees, however, you will be able to determine
the percentage column opposite the scaled score of 530 your strengths and weaknesses and can then plan a
is the number 50. This means that 50 percent of the program of study to prepare yourself for taking the
GRE Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology Test GRE Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology Test
examinees tested between October 1997 and September under standard conditions.
2000 scored lower than 530. To compare yourself with
this population, look at the percentage next to the
scaled score you earned on the practice test.
58 BIOCHEMISTRY, CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY TEST
PRACTICE BOOK